Motif
fatal misunderstanding of ambiguous speech
fatal_misunderstanding_of_ambiguous_speech
A motif of the Sacred Knowledge and Wisdom family, within the sub-family Wisdom Teaching and Moral Instruction. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
roman
-
The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books I-VII EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 12386-12480 confidence: high
At dawn, with the sun on the mountain tops, Cephalus goes alone into the woods to hunt with his javelin. After killing wild beasts, he rests in shade and repeatedly calls for the breeze to come, refresh him, and assuage his heat, using affectionate language.
Cephalus's affectionate address to the breeze is interpreted as speech to a beloved nymph, producing Procris's jealousy and the sequence leading to her death.
read in the book →